Newswise — Chris Fryer, PhD (Los Alamos Nat'l Laboratoy and adjunct professor at UNM and U Arizona), an expert in astrophysical transients working at Los Alamos National Laboratory, is available for interviews on the latest discoveries with gravitational wave astronomy, theory and cosmic explosions.

As new observatories allow astronomers to probe shorter timescales, they are discovering a broad range of astrophysical transients with timescales that range from a few milliseconds to hundreds of days. The list of new, unexplained phenomena is growing on a yearly basis including new exotic types of supernovae and gamma-ray bursts as well as completely different events like fast radio bursts. "Understanding these events provides a unique probe of physics in extreme conditions. With new technology allowing us to observe, not only in the electromagnetic spectrum, but in neutrinos and gravitational waves, we expect to uncover more surprises in our transient universe. Combining studies of these events with the physics we study in laboratories, we can push our understanding of both the universe and its basic physics laws to new heights," says Dr. Fryer, who specializes in understanding the inner engines of these cosmic explosions.